PAFA School vs Art Center College of Design

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) and Art Center College of Design (ACCD) stand out as prestigious institutions offering specialized art education. PAFA, rooted in traditional fine arts, boasts a lower acceptance rate of 48% compared to ACCD's 75%. While PAFA's student body predominantly comprises undergraduates, ACCD caters to a larger population of graduate students. Both institutions excel in their respective areas, with PAFA excelling in Fine Arts and ACCD in Design and Applied Arts. Discover the nuances that set these institutions apart by exploring our comprehensive comparison table, designed to help you make an informed decision about your artistic journey.

	Art Center College of Design	Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Overview
Location	Pasadena, California	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	85.0%	84.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.6%	83.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	982	122
Total number of admissions given out	742	102
Admitted students who chose to enroll	269	10
Yield rate	36.3%	9.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$72,066	$66,804
Average net price	$50,420	$29,925
Tuition	$47,334	$38,926
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $17,667	100.0% Average amount $29,528
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $5,367	61.0% Average amount $5,864
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,675	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,028 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	121 Men 24.0% Women 76.0%
Graduate students	291 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%	57 Men 21.1% Women 78.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	45.4%	6.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	37
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Engineering Technologies Communications Technology Architecture Computer and Information Science	Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	4:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	75.9%	47.2%
Dropout rate	9.8%	33.3%
Transferred out	8.6%	16.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,017 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $57,513 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,536 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $27,282 Architectural Sciences and Technology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,380 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,126 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,973 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: N/A Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,061 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,685 Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $11,851 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $17,249 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,722 Year 2: $19,749 Year 3: $28,395 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $27,413 Year 2: $22,764 Year 3: $26,502

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